Dehradun: The Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee has called for a gherao of the state assembly in Gairsain on October 27, accusing the BJP government of pursuing anti-people policies and alleging corruption and unemployment, party chief Ganesh Godiyal said.
Godiyal said the protest would focus on 14 public-interest issues and would amplify the voice of the people. The assembly session also begins on October 27, setting up a political showdown on the opening day. The move comes ahead of the 2027 Uttarakhand assembly elections, with the Congress stepping up its campaign against the state government.
The Congress chief also demanded the immediate dismissal of cabinet minister Rekha Arya, asking Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to clarify allegations of a ₹210-crore corruption scandal levelled against her by her husband. "The Chief Minister needs to immediately remove Rekha Arya from her ministerial post. All of this needs to be investigated, and the truth should be made public," Godiyal said.
Arya has rejected the claims as "100 per cent baseless" and welcomed an official inquiry. Godiyal accused the Chief Minister of shielding corruption within the cabinet.
The party has also appointed Sandeep Gupta and Akshit Singh as national coordinators to handle its social media and digital platform work for the coming state polls. The appointments were made by Supriya Shrinate, who heads the party's social media and digital platforms department. Godiyal said the Congress would take its campaign to the people on issues of jobs, prices and governance.
Arya has said the allegation is baseless and that she welcomes an inquiry, a position she has held since the charge surfaced.